


Don't say anything; you look perfect in this light to me.

by youngjusticewriter



Series: How to save a life. [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Squib Harry Potter, Squibs, parsletongue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-06 01:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15875484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngjusticewriter/pseuds/youngjusticewriter
Summary: The Boy Who Lived is a squib. It turns out better than in others universes where he isn't.





	Don't say anything; you look perfect in this light to me.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dirgewithoutmusic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirgewithoutmusic/gifts).



Vernon is yelling; it's muffled to Petunia as he herds Dudley and the boy out of the kitchen. 

It hadn't changed in all the years that had gone by, Petunia thought as she stared down at the letter in her hands. It'd be easy to break it - rip it in half and dismiss the whole thing; to pretend (Petunia knows all about pretending) that the boy got the letter but life is never that easy.  
Life is unkind and unfair and Petunia is laughing. Or least Petunia knows she is; it's like her babykins loud protests as Vernon shouts back: muffled over the sound of her heartbeat. 

(Petunia doesn't need to hear her laughter to know it's a bitter thing; Petunia has been a bitter girl since she wrote letters to Hogwarts to ask 'can't she go too?' only for them to eventually become 'why did Lily get to be a witch?' Now, even as a woman who got more than Lily ever did, Petunia is still bitter.) 

Eventually, Petunia is too lost to know how much time has past, Vernon is in front of her. His face is blotchy red but his hands that cover hers - the letter falls between them without a sound - are soft things. Petunia tightens her hands around his because Vernon is an anchor - he'll keep her from getting further from the path. 

Despite that Petunia is shaking her head, tears burning her thin cheeks. Sickening laughter is the only sound in the kitchen. 

(Petunia is laughing so hard she can't breathe.)

Brittle nails dig into Vernon's large hands as Petunia tries to calm down - tries to just breathe. 

He's like me. "He's a squib," Petunia manages to get out despite the laughter that hurts her. 

Vernon stares at her, his small eyes narrowed in confusion. "A bloody what?" 

That makes Petunia croak out a smile. "A squib. He's a squib and they sent him a letter." 

And she keeps shaking her like the repetition of the motion will make the letter fallen to her black heels go away, like her denying the unfairness of the whole thing will make the universe bend to her will - like shaking her head could make her childhood (finally) become right. 

Vernon, being the businessman that he is, the person that he is, has no patience for such nonsense. His hands leave hers and he cradles her face. His thumbs wiping her tears that have become cold on her thin face. 

"We did it," Petunia confesses, and she's no longer laughing, but she's sobbing now. "We beat it out of him and they sent the letter anyway." 

And there's laughter that makes her not breathe. Briefly Petunia wonders if Lily hadn't been able to breathe before she died. She tries to shut that thought down quickly but it doesn't quite work. (It never does and the boy wonders why they never talk about his parents.) 

Eventually Vernon realizes he can't calm her down. It's then that he tries to rip the letter into only for Petunia to shout, "No!"

His small eyes stare at her likes she's lost her mind. With what she's thinking of perhaps she has. 

Petunia is shaking her head, but it's no longer at the letter, but at her husband. 

"We'll visit my parents," Petunia tells Vernon, her voice is small but she is unyielding (unforgiving really) now that she has this idea in her head. It's preposterous but their kind aren't really smart. It might work; actually, it doesn't need to completely work. Hogwarts just has to learn that they were wrong and Petunia will finally be happy. 

Vernon's eyebrows, thick things no matter how many times she takes tweezers to them, furrow together in confusion. 

"I buried her first wand there," Petunia confesses and it's a joy to finally admit to it. Lily had thought perhaps their dog had taken it while they were having a welcome home party but she'd been wrong. They had all been wrong. 

"I'll take him there myself. I'll buy the damn things if I have to just so they can learn they were wrong." 

"But Petunia-" 

"No, Vernon. They deserve it and they'll keep sending the letters. Lily had thrown hers in the trash at first but they kept coming - even on Sunday. Until the witch - the one who could become a cat - came to our house-" 

"Became a cat?" Vernon repeated in shock but Petunia payed him no mind. 

"They deserve it," Petunia firmly told herself even though she didn't needed convincing. "They really do."

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is gifted to dirgewithoutmusic who wrote these little powerless bones. It's a fic where a squib becomes a student of Hogwarts and if you have not read it give it a try. It's utterly marvelous. I read and bookmarked it a few days back and my brain would not stop thinking of it so here we are. (It probably didn't help that I recalled that Hagrid repeated something Uncle Vernon said - Harry not going to Hogwarts - before I think he told them that Harry's name had been on the list since birth.) 
> 
> Also, don't worry Harry will be getting into Hogwarts.


End file.
